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The two-volume set LNAI 5777 and LNAI 5778 constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 10th European Conference, ECAl 2009, held in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2009. The 141 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from161 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary developmental biology and hardware, evolutionary robotics, protocells and prebiotic chemistry, systems biology, artificial chemistry and neuroscience, group selection, ecosystems and evolution, algorithms and evolutionary computation, philosophy and arts, optimization, action, and agent connectivity, and swarm intelligence.

The two-volume set LNAI 5777 and LNAI 5778 constitutes the thoroughly refereed post-conference proceedings of the 10th European Conference, ECAl 2009, held in Budapest, Hungary, in September 2009. The 141 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from161 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on evolutionary developmental biology and hardware, evolutionary robotics, protocells and prebiotic chemistry, systems biology, artificial chemistry and neuroscience, group selection, ecosystems and evolution, algorithms and evolutionary computation, philosophy and arts, optimization, action, and agent connectivity, and swarm intelligence.

The fourth volume in this series is a proceedings volume based on papers presented at the 5th Innovations in Regenerative Medicine and Cancer Research conference. Chapters are written by some of the most innovative minds in stem cell and tissue engineering research, and provide a comprehensive overview of papers from the most recent conference. The volume addresses tissue engineering principles and applications, including current trends and challenges, as well as future directions. Cutting edge topics of interest include production of functional tissues, vascularization and immune responses, and functionalization of scaffolds. Volumes in this series are invaluable resources for active researchers, clinicians, and professionals in industry, as well as students across a broad range of fields.

This new series, based on a bi-annual conference and its topics, represents a major contribution to the emerging science of cancer research and regenerative medicine. Each volume brings together some of the most pre-eminent scientists working on cancer biology, cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention and regenerative medicine to share information on currently ongoing work which will help shape future therapies. These volumes are invaluable resources not only for already active researchers or clinicians but also for those entering these fields, plus those in industry. Cancer Biology and Advances in Treatment is a proceedings volume which reflects papers presented at the 3rd bi-annual Innovations in Regenerative Medicine and Cancer Research conference; taken with its companion volume Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cells: Biology and Engineering it provides a complete overview of the papers from that meeting of international experts.

This new series, based on a bi-annual conference and its topics, represents a major contribution to the emerging science of cancer research and regenerative medicine. Each volume brings together some of the most pre-eminent scientists working on cancer biology, cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention and regenerative medicine to share information on currently ongoing work which will help shape future therapies. These volumes are invaluable resources not only for already active researchers or clinicians but also for those entering these fields, plus those in industry. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine is a proceedings volume which reflects papers presented at the 3rd bi-annual Innovations in Regenerative Medicine and Cancer Research conference; taken with its companion volume Stem Cells: Biology and Engineering it provides a complete overview of the papers from that meeting of international experts.

This new series, based on a bi-annual conference and its topics, represents a major contribution to the emerging science of cancer research and regenerative medicine. Each volume brings together some of the most pre-eminent scientists working on cancer biology, cancer treatment, cancer diagnosis, cancer prevention and regenerative medicine to share information on currently ongoing work which will help shape future therapies. These volumes are invaluable resources not only for already active researchers or clinicians but also for those entering these fields, plus those in industry. Stem Cells: Biology and Engineering is a proceedings volume which reflects papers presented at the Innovations in Regenerative Medicine and Cancer Research conference; taken with its companion volume Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine it provides a complete overview of the papers from that meeting of international experts.

This volume explores questions about conceptual change from both scientific and philosophical viewpoints by analyzing the recent history of evolutionary developmental biology. It features revised papers that originated from the workshop'Conceptual Change in Biological Science: Evolutionary Developmental Biology, 1981-2011'held at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin in July 2010. The Preface has been written by Ron Amundson.In these papers, philosophers and biologists compare and contrast key concepts in evolutionary developmental biology and their development since the original, seminal Dahlem conference on evolution and development held in Berlin in 1981. Many of the original scientific participants from the 1981 conference are also contributors to this new volume and, in conjunction with other expert biologists and philosophers specializing on these topics, provide an authoritative, comprehensive view on the subject.Taken together, the papers supply novel perspectives on how and why the conceptual landscape has shifted and stabilized in particular ways, yielding insights into the dynamic epistemic changes that have occurred over the past three decades. This volume will appeal to philosophers of biology studying conceptual change, evolutionary developmental biologists focused on comprehending the genesis of their field and evaluating its future directions, and historians of biology examining this period when the intersection of evolution and development rose again to prominence in biological science.

Foreword by Phillip V. TobiasThe introduction of rhesus macaques to Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico in 1938, and the subsequent development of the CPRC for biomedical research, continues its long history of stimulating studies in physical anthropology. The CPRC monkey colonies, and the precise demographic data on the derived skeletal collection in the Center's Laboratory of Primate Morphology and Genetics (LPMG), provide rare opportunities for morphological, developmental, functional, genetic, and behavioral studies across the life span of rhesus macaques as a species, and as a primate model for humans. The book grows out of a symposium Wang is organizing for the 78th annual meeting of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists to be held in April 2009. This symposium will highlight recent and ongoing research in, or related to, physical anthropology, and reveal the numerous research opportunities that still exist at this unusual rhesus facility. Following an initial historical review of CPRC and its research activities, this book will emphasize recent and current researches on growth, function, genetics, pathology, aging, and behavior, and the impact of these researches on our understanding of rhesus and human morphology, development, genetics, and behavior. Fourteen researchers will present recent and current studies on morphology, genetics, and behavior, with relevance to primate and human growth, health, and evolution. The book will include not only papers presented in the symposium, but also papers from individuals who could not present their work at the meeting due to limitations in the maximum number (14) of permitted speakers.

A cutting-edge survey of formal methods directed specifically at dealing with the deep mathematical problems engendered by the study of developing systems, in particular dealing with developing phase spaces, changing components, structures and functionalities, and the problem of emergence. Several papers deal with the modelling of particular experimental situations in population biology, economics and plant and muscle developments in addition to purely theoretical approaches. Novel approaches include differential inclusions and viability theory, growth tensors, archetypal dynamics, ensembles with variable structures, and complex system models. The papers represent the work of theoreticians and experimental biologists, psychologists and economists. The areas covered embrace complex systems, the development of artificial life, mathematics, computer science, biology and psychology.

The World Congress of In Vitro Fertilization and Alternate Assisted Reproduction, held in Jerusalem, Israel, 2-7 April, 1989, was the sixth in the sequence of these Congresses, but was the first to emphasize the major importance and the place of assisted reproductive technologies in the treatment of infertility. The eternal City of Jerusalem witnessed the gathering of more than 1500 participants from allover the world who shared and exchanged knowledge and up-to-date experience in this ever-evolving field. The high quality scientific contributions to the Congress culminated in the publication of this Proceedings. It embraces all-important aspects in the field of in vitro fertilization and alternate assisted reproduction. Papers on controversies and diversities of methods to stimulate the ovaries, imaging techniques, basic research and state-of-the-art papers on ovarian physiology, the role of GnRH and its analog, clinical aspects of IVF treatment and cryopreservation, up-to-date techniques in assisted reproductive technologies that are quickly developing in conjunction with IVF, were included. When should IVF be preferable to surgery? What are the ex­ pected up-to-date world results and what are the psychological, moral, ethical and religious implications? These are all the concerns of the treating team and are addressed here. Male factor infertility remains a frustrating problem, but advances in the understanding of sperm-egg interaction, sperm evaluation and preparation are reported. Micromanipulation emerges as a possible alternative to bring some relief to this problem, but it also promises to be central in promoting the field of prenatal genetic analysis.

1 Kevin Moses It is now 25 years since the study of the development of the compound eye in Drosophila really began with a classic paper (Ready et al. 1976). In 1864, August Weismann published a monograph on the development of Diptera and included some beautiful drawings of the developing imaginal discs (Weismann 1864). One of these is the first description of the third instar eye disc in which Weismann drew a vertical line separating a posterior domain that included a regular pattern of clustered cells from an anterior domain without such a pattern. Weismann suggested that these clusters were the precursors of the adult ommatidia and that the line marks the anterior edge of the eye. In his first suggestion he was absolutely correct - in his second he was wrong. The vertical line shown was not the anterior edge of the eye, but the anterior edge of a moving wave of patterning and cell type specification that 112 years later (1976) Ready, Hansen and Benzer would name the'morphogenetic furrow'. While it is too late to hear from August Weismann, it is a particular pleasure to be able to include a chapter in this Volume from the first author of that 1976 paper: Don Ready! These past 25 years have seen an astonishing explosion in the study of the fly eye (see Fig.

This volume presents selected peer-reviewed papers of the 8th International Conference on Cell & Stem Cell Engineering (ICCM) 2010 in Dublin. The contributions are written by leading scientists in Cell and Stem Cell Engineering and the topics of the papers include: Computational Cell Mechanics Experimental techniques in Cell Mechanics Molecular and Cell Imaging Cell Matrix Interactions Mechanotransduction and cell mechanics Cell sensing Cell processing Artificial cells Stem cell niche Cell Networks

Unlike the structured world of computer science, biology is complex, evolving, and often lacks clean abstract models. This book aims to serve as a guide for computer scientists who need to understand cell biology, breaking the field into three parts: biological mechanics, experimental methods, and language/nomenclature. While biological mechanics, which investigates cellular-level details, is covered by many texts, this book also focuses on experimental methods – how biologists conduct experiments and gather data - and on helping the reader understand the language and terminology of biology, which is rich but challenging for non-biologists. A Computer Scientist's Guide to Cell Biology uses a metaphor of biology as a strange land with an unfamiliar language and customs. The goal of the book is to provide a high-level introduction to cell biology, simplifying concepts and relating them to familiar ideas from computer science, so that working computer scientists can more effectively understand read recent research papers and results.This Second Edition contains a number of updates, including discussions of CRISPR, advances in DNA Sequencing, and mRNA vaccines. It serves as an easy-to-read travel guide for computer scientists navigating the intricate and sometimes perplexing terrain of cell biology, offering insights into experimental methods and helping bridge the gap between the structured world of computer science and the complexities of biological systems.

Volume Electron Microscopy (vEM), Volume 177 is a collective term for a set of three-dimensional high-resolution ultrastructural imaging techniques that have delivered new insights into biological systems in recent years, garnering substantial interest in the life and clinical sciences. In this book, users will find a variety of vEM workflows and technologies, highlighting application areas with biologically relevant examples. Topics covered include Automated large volume sample preparation for vEM, Resin comparison for Serial Block Face Scanning Volume Electron Microscopy, Immunolabelling for SBF-SEM, Electron Microscopy in Plants, Serial section electron tomography, Automated Tape Collecting Ultramicrotomy (ATUM) for targeting neuropathology, Array tomography, and much more. Other sections focus on Mitochondria morphometry in 3d datasets of mouse brain obtained with serial block-face Scanning Electron Microscopy, Serial Block-face Scanning Electron Microscopy of Schmidtea mediterranea, Correlative multiscale microCT-SBF-SEM imaging of resin-embedded tissue, Methods of enhanced FIB-SEM sample preparation and image acquisition, Functional characterization of endo-lysosomal compartments by correlative live-cell and volume electron microscopy, and much more. Includes chapters written by key leaders and developers in the field Provides detailed protocols, allowing for the application of workflows in one's own laboratory setting Presents real tips and tricks you won't get from standard research papers

High-efficiency micropropagation, with relatively low labour costs, has been demonstrated in this unique book detailing liquid media systems for plant tissue culture. World authorities (e.g. von Arnold, Curtis, Takayama, Ziv) contribute seminal papers together with papers from researchers across Europe that are members of the EU COST Action 843'Advanced micropropagation systems'. First-hand practical applications are detailed for crops – including ornamentals and trees – using a wide range of techniques, from thin-film temporary immersion systems to more traditional aerated bioreactors with many types of explant – shoots to somatic embryos. The accounts are realistic, balanced and provide a contemporary account of this important aspect of mass propagation. This book is essential reading for all those in commercial micropropagation labs, as well as researchers worldwide who are keen to improve propagation techniques and lower economic costs of production. Undergraduate and postgraduate students in the applied plant sciences and horticulture will find the book an enlightened treatise.

This detailed exposition gives background and context to how modern biogeography has got to where it is now. For biogeographers and other researchers interested in biodiversity and the evolution of life on islands, Biogeology: Evolution in a Changing Landscape provides an overview of a large swathe of the globe encompassing Wallacea and the western Pacific. The book contains the full text of the original article explored in each chapter, presented as it appeared on publication. Key features: Holistic treatment, collecting together a series of important biogeographical papers into a single volume Authored by an expert who has spent nearly three decades actively involved in biogeography Describes and interprets a region of exceptional biodiversity and extreme endemism The only book to provide an integrated treatment of Wallacea, Melanesia, New Zealand, the New Zealand Subantarctic Islands and Antarctica Offers a critique of fashionable neo-dispersalist arguments, showing how these still suffer from the same weaknesses of the original Darwinian formulation. The chapters also include analysis of many major theoretical and philosophical issues of modern biogeographic theory, so that those interested in a more philosophical approach will find the book stimulating and thought-provoking.

The green revolution led to the development of improved varieties of crops, especially cereals, and since then, classical or molecular breeding has resulted in the creation of economically valuable species. Thanks to recent developments in genetic engineering, it has become possible to introduce genes from different sources, such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, mice and humans, to plants. This technology has made the scientific community aware of the critical role of transgenics, not only as a means of producing stress tolerant crops but also as a platform for the production of therapeutics through molecular farming. This book discusses the commercial applications of plant transgenic technologies, including the use of transgenic cell culture approachesto improve the production of metabolites and high-value therapeutics as well as transgenic plants in pest management. It also explores generation of novel vectors, protein production using chloroplast engineering and the latest developments in this area, such as genome editing in plants. Featuring general discussions and research papers by leading international experts, it is a valuable resource for scientists, teachers, students and industrialists working in the field.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. The coverage is wide ranging, with sections on care models and algorithms, enabling technologies and assistive solutions, elderly people monitoring, home rehabilitation, ICT solutions for AAL, living with chronic conditions, robotic assistance for the elderly, sensing technologies for AAL, and smart housing. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 9th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2018), which was held in Lecce, Italy, in July 2018 and brought together end users, technology teams, and policy makers to develop a consensus on how to improve provision for elderly and impaired people. Readers will find that the expert contributions offer clear insights into the ways in which the most recent exciting advances may be expected to assist in addressing the needs of the elderly and those with chronic conditions.

This book documents the state of the art in the field of ambient assisted living (AAL), highlighting the impressive potential of novel methodologies and technologies to enhance well-being and promote active ageing. It covers a broad range of topics, with sections on technological sensors and platforms, social robotics for assistance, assistance and care applications, health and medical support methodologies and technologies, as well as the analysis, modelling and design of AAL services. The book comprises a selection of the best papers presented at the 8th Italian Forum on Ambient Assisted Living (ForitAAL 2017), which was held in Genoa, Italy, in June 2017 and brought together researchers, technology teams and professional associations, as well as representatives of the Italian regions and advisors to the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, with the goal of developing a consensus on how to improve provisions for the elderly and impaired. The respective contributions offer valuable insights into how the latest advances can help address the needs of the elderly and those with chronic health conditions. They also underscore the need for AAL to continue moving toward multidisciplinary integration, so as to embrace the various disciplines that place the user of services at the centre of the design process.

This book looks at where stem cell technology is presently and how it is instrumental in advancing the field of disease modeling and cell transplantation. By focusing on major human disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, cancer, and heart disorders, the book summarizes the major findings in the field of human stem cells and dissect the current limitations on our understanding of stem cells biology. The chapters focus on the genetics, genomics, epigenetics and physiology of stem cells models, together with technological advances on molecular biology such as CRISPR/Cas9 or epigenetic editing, that will be instrumental in the future of human disease modeling and treatment. In base of the limitations of current disease models and in front of the unmet necessity of finding therapeutical interventions for human disorders, the availability of stem cell technology has opened new doors for several fields. The unlimited self-renewal capacity and more extensive differentiation potential of stem cells offers a theoretically inexhaustible and replenishable source of any cell subtype. Since Professor Shinya Yamanaka described it, 10 years ago in his seminal paper, that somatic cells could be reprogrammed to inducible stem cells (iPSC) just by expressing four transcription factors, the field of has exploded, especially its applications in biomedical research.

The main goal of this book is to put the Darwinian tradition in context by raising questions such as: How should it be defined? Did it interact with other research programs? Were there any research programs that developed largely independently of the Darwinian tradition? Accordingly, the contributing authors explicitly explore the nature of the relationship between the Darwinian tradition and other research programs running in parallel. In the wake of the Synthetic Theory of Evolution, which was established throughout the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s, historians and philosophers of biology devoted considerable attention to the Darwinian tradition, i.e., linking Charles Darwin to mid-Twentieth-Century developments in evolutionary biology. Since then, more recent developments in evolutionary biology have challenged, in part or entirely, the heritage of the Darwinian tradition. Not surprisingly, this has in turn been followed by a historiographical “recalibration” on the part of historians and philosophers regarding other research programs and traditions in evolutionary biology. In order to acknowledge this shift, the papers in this book have been arranged on the basis of two main threads: Part I: A perspective that views Darwinism as either being originally pluralistic or having acquired such a pluralistic nature through modifications and borrowings over time. Part II: A perspective blurring the boundaries between non-Darwinian and Darwinian traditions, either by contending that Darwinism itself was never quite as Darwinian as previously assumed, or that non-Darwinian traditions took on board various Darwinian components, when not fertilizing Darwinism directly. Between a Darwinism reaching out to other research programs and non-Darwinian programs reaching out to Darwinism, the least that can be said is that this interweaving of intellectual threads blurs the historiographical field. This volume aims to open vital new avenues for approachingand reflecting on the development of evolutionary biology.

This bibliography offers valuable annotated references on housing for older population for those interested in these initiatives and discussions. It begins with an overview piece on the state of policy, practice and research on housing for the older population in Singapore. This is followed by an annotated bibliography featuring published and unpublished work, spanning recent decades, pertaining to housing for the older population with emphasis on Singapore. It encompasses theoretical and empirical research reported in journal articles and book chapters as well as grey literature, like dissertations and theses, conference proceedings, working papers and newspaper articles. The bibliography also contains additional citations covering global studies, in particular, in Asia, North America and UK. It is hoped that this bibliographic material will serve as a useful starting reference point for discussions on housing of older people in Singapore and also for key developments in other parts of the world. The goal is to encourage additional scholarship.

This book details cutting-edge methods and findings that may shape the future of applied demography. Inside, readers will discover new insights into the databases, substantive issues, and methodological approaches that can help them to improve how they use demography in decision making and planning problems in both public and private settings.The topics and perspectives are found in the book's 23 chapters, which are organized into three major sections: (I) Demographic Information for Decision-Making: Case Studies; (II) Data: Issues and Analyses; and (III) Projection and Estimation Methods: Evaluations, Examples, and Discussions. Coverage includes chapters on migration, demographic market analysis, future courtroom needs, trends in the needs of the elderly, access to health care, longitudinal data systems, census costs, and new approaches to small area estimation and projection methods. The case studies represent a wide range of countries, including Australia, Canada, China, England, India, Japan, and the United States of America. Overall, this edited volume collects papers that were presented at different conferences, including the 8th international conference on population geographies (University of Queensland, 2015), the 2014 Applied Demography Conference (San Antonio, Texas, USA), and the annual conference of the Canadian Population Society. Applied demography touches many aspects of our lives and its practitioners continue to push methodological and empirical boundaries. This book documents the steady evolution of this field. It shows demographers, sociologists, economists, planners, marketers, and others how they can improve the quality and relevance of demographic information now and in the future.

This book examines one of the most important demographic changes facing the United States: an overall aging population and the increasing influence of Latinos. It also looks at the changing demographics in Mexico and its impact on the health and financial well-being of aging Mexicans and Mexican Americans. The book provides a conceptual and accessible framework that will educate and inform readers about the interconnectedness of the demographic trends facing these two countries. It also explores the ultimate personal, social, and political impact they will have on all Americans, in the U.S. as well as Mexico. Challenges of Latino Aging in the Americas features papers presented at the 2013 International Conference on Aging in the Americas, held at the University of Texas at Austin, September 2013. It brings together the work of many leading scholars from the fields of sociology, demography, psychology, anthropology, geography, social work, geriatric medicine, epidemiology, and public affairs. Coverage in this edited collection includes working with diverse populations; culturally compatible interventions for diverse elderly; the health, mental health, and social needs and concerns of aging Latinos; and the policy, political, and bi-lateral implications of aging and diversity in the U.S. and Mexico. The book provides a rich blend of empirical evidence with insightful, cutting-edge analysis that will serve as an insightful resource for researchers and policy makers, professors and graduate students in a wide range of fields, from sociology and demography to economics and political science. ​

This book examines the social aspects of healthy ageing for older individuals. It features more than 15 papers that explore the relevance of the social environment for health on the micro, meso, and macro level. Overall, the book applies a comprehensive contextual approach that includes discussion of how family and friends, neighborhoods, nations, and welfare regimes influence health.The book first explores the issue on the individual level. It looks at the importance of social capital for health among older people, examines types of social networks and health among older Americans, as well as discusses dynamic social capital and mental health in late life.Next, the book looks at the issue through a neighborhood and societal context, which takes into account day-to-day interaction in the immediate environment as well as the social, health, and economic policies in place in different regions in the world, including America, Europe, Asia, and Africa.From there, the book goes on to offer implications and recommendations for research and practice, including the management of related concepts of research on well-being and health. It also offers a psychosocial approach to promoting social capital and mental health among older adults.This book provides health professionals as well as researchers and students in gerontology, sociology, social policy, psychology, and social work with vital insights into the social factors that increase healthy life years and promote well-being.

Sox2: Biology and Role in Development and Disease offers a thorough discussion of the important role of Sox2 in cellular and developmental processes, aimed at facilitating greater understanding of how Sox2 functions across different disciplines. The book discusses the basic biology of Sox2 to help establish the critical foundational knowledge necessary for deeper molecular and functional analysis. The book also provides insight into how the Sox2 transcription factor plays a key role in pluripotency induction, maintenance, and development. Helpful as a tool to organize new research projects, the book assists with preparing lessons, seminars, and thesis or research papers, thereby circumventing the need to spend hours searching through journal databases. A single source for the basic biology of Sox2, Sox2: Biology and Its Role in Development and Disease provides information on networks, gene regulation, and regulatory function in a number of cell types and tissues types. Discusses the important role of Sox2 in cellular and developmental processes Facilitates a greater understanding of how Sox2 functions across different disciplines Assists in identifying, circumventing and modifying the dynamics of Sox2 in cell types Provides greater understanding of the structure of Sox2 and its gene networks Identifies aspects of phenotypic spectrum uncovered following greater understanding of Sox2 during development

Legumes in the Omic Era provides a timely review of recent advances in legume genomics research and application. In this post-genomic era enormous amount of biological information is available which could be of huge potential use for crop improvement applications. This aspect of genomics assisted plant breeding is focused throughout the book for all the important grain legume crops. Role of functional genomics and importance of bioinformatics tools in present day genomics and molecular breeding research is also discussed in detail. Use of molecular tools for nutritional fortification of grain legume is briefly presented. A chapter also been contributed on fungal disease resistance to elucidate potential application of genomic tools in molecular breeding of grain legume species. The book contains fifteen chapters contributed by 50 scientists from different countries who are actively involved in analyzing and improving particular legume genome. This book will serve as referenceresource to legumes researchers for use of genome information in improvement of major legume crops. Dr Sanjeev Gupta is Principal Scientist/Project Coordinator-All India Coordinated Research Project on Vigna Crops at Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than two decades of research experience in grain legume breeding and developed a number of high yielding cultivars in grain legumes. He is authored numerous research papers published in peer-reviewed journals and edited several books in plant breeding aspects. He was the Organizing Secretary of the International Grain Legume Conference, 2009 held in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur, India. He has travelled across the continents to present his research several times. He is recipient of several awards for his research and literary contributions Dr. Nagasamy Nadarajan is the Director of the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR), Kanpur. He has more than three decades of teaching and research experience and developed more than fifteen legume and cereal cultivars. He has to his credits more than 200 peer-reviewed research publications. He has guided several graduate students for Masters and Doctoral degrees in food legume breeding and genetics research. He has authored a book in biometrics which is one of the most popular books among the agriculture graduate students in India. He is the recipient of three international and six national awards and honours for his outstanding contributions Mr. Debjyoti Sen Gupta is the ICAR International Fellow and Ph.D. candidate at North Dakota State University (NDSU), Fargo, USA. Recently, he visited Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, USA for high throughput genotyping work. Before joining at NDSU he was serving as the Scientist in the Indian Institute of Pulses Research (IIPR). He has authored several research articles, review articles and book chapters in the peer-reviewed journals and books from reputed publishers like Springer, CABI etc. He is recipient of several fellowships like CSIR-JRF, New Delhi; ICAR-JRF, New Delhi throughout his graduate study programs.

The book is a fundamental reference source on reaction wood for wood scientists and technologists, plant biologists, silviculturists, forest ecologists, and anyone involved in the growing of trees and the processing of wood. It brings together our current understanding of all aspects of reaction wood, and is the first book to discuss both compression wood and tension wood.Trees produce reaction wood to maintain the vertical orientation of their stems and the optimum angle of each branch. They achieve this by laying down fibre cell walls in which differences in physical and chemical structure from those of normal fibres are expressed as differential stresses across the stem or branch. This process, while of obvious value for the survival of the tree, causes serious problems for the utilisation of timber. Timber derived from trees containing significant amounts of reaction wood is subject to dimensional instability on drying, causing twisting, bending and splitting. It is also difficult to work as timber, and for the pulp and paper industry the cost of removing the increased amount of lignin in compression wood is substantial. This has both practical and economic consequences for industry.Understanding the factors controlling reaction wood formation and its effect on wood structure is therefore fundamental to our understanding of the adaptation of trees to their environment and to the sustainable use of wood.The topics covered include:-Morphology, anatomy and ultrastructure of reaction wood-Cell-wall polymers in reaction wood and their biosynthesis-Changes in tree proteomes during reaction wood formation-The biomechanical action and biological functions of reaction wood- Physical and mechanical properties of reaction wood from the scale of cell walls to planks-The detection and characterisation of compression wood-Effects of reaction wood on the performance of wood and wood-basedproducts- Commercial implications of reaction wood and the influence of forest management on its formation

'The old order changeth, yielding place to new.'When Tennyson wrote this, he was unfamiliar with the pace of modem science else he would have said the new is displaced by the newer. When Gilbert and I gathered the papers for the first edition of this overview of metamorphosis, we aimed to provide a broad basis upon which the experimental analysis of the developmental changes called metamorphosis could proceed. We were both aware then that with the new techniques of biochemistry and with the revolutionary breakthrough to the nature of the gene, countless new possibilities were being opened for the exploration of the molecular basis of development. The resources offered by metamorphic changes offered unique opportunities to trace the path from gene to phenotype. Our expectations were high. I visited Larry Gilbert and Earl Frieden in their laboratories and saw with envy how far advanced they were then in the use of molecular methods of analysis. I had started on a different approach to develop an in vitro test for thyroid action on amphibian tissue. But circumstances limited my own progress to the initial delim­ itation of the technical possibilities of the in vitro system. Only from the sidelines could I watch the steady if slow progress of biology in penetrating the maze of molecular events by which animal tissues re­ spond to hormonal and other developmental factors.

In the spring of 2011, a diverse group of scientists gathered at Cornell University to discuss their research into the nature and origin of biological information. This symposium brought together experts in information theory, computer science, numerical simulation, thermodynamics, evolutionary theory, whole organism biology, developmental biology, molecular biology, genetics, physics, biophysics, mathematics, and linguistics. This volume presents new research by those invited to speak at the conference.The contributors to this volume use their wide-ranging expertise in the area of biological information to bring fresh insights into the many explanatory difficulties associated with biological information. These authors raise major challenges to the conventional scientific wisdom, which attempts to explain all biological information exclusively in terms of the standard mutation/selection paradigm.Several clear themes emerged from these research papers: 1) Information is indispensable to our understanding of what life is; 2) Biological information is more than the material structures that embody it; 3) Conventional chemical and evolutionary mechanisms seem insufficient to fully explain the labyrinth of information that is life. By exploring new perspectives on biological information, this volume seeks to expand, encourage, and enrich research into the nature and origin of biological information.

With today's ever growing economic and ecological problems, wood as a raw material takes on increasing significance as the most important renewable source of energy and as industrial feedstock for numerous products. Its chemical and anatomical structure and the excellent properties that result allow wood to be processed into the most diverse products; from logs to furniture and veneers, and from wood chippings to wooden composites and paper. The aim of this book is to review advances in research on the cellular aspects of cambial growth and wood formation in trees over recent decades. The book is divided into two major parts. The first part covers the basic process of wood biosynthesis, focusing on five major steps that are involved in this process: cell division, cell expansion, secondary cell wall formation, programmed cell death and heartwood formation. The second part of the book deals with the regulation of wood formation by endogenous and exogenous factors. On the endogenous level the emphasis is placed on two aspects: control of wood formation by phytohormones and by molecular mechanisms. Apart from endogenous factors, various exogenous effects (such as climate factors) are involved in wood formation. Due to modern microscopic as well as molecular techniques, the understanding of wood formation has progressed significantly over the last decade. Emphasizing the cellular aspects, this book first gives an overview of the basic process of wood formation, before it focuses on factors involved in the regulation of this process.

The past decade has seen a steady increase in studies oflemur behavior and ecology. As a result, there is much novel information on newly studied populations, and even newly discovered species, that has not yet been published or summarized. In fact, lemurs have not been the focus of an international symposium since the Prosimian Biology Conference in London in 1972. Moreover, research on lemurs has reached a new quality by addressing general issues in behavioral ecology and evolutionary biology. Although lemurs provide important comparative information on these topics, this aspect of research on lemurs has not been reviewed and compared with similar studies in other primate radiations. Thus, as did many in the field, we felt that the time was ripe to review and synthesize our knowledge of lemur behavioral ecology. Following an initiative by Gerry Doyle, we organized a symposium at the XIVth Congress of the International Primatological Society in Strasbourg, France, where 15 contributions summarized much new information on lemur social systems and their ecological basis. This volume provides a collection of the papers presented at the Strasbourg symposium (plus two reports from recently completed field projects). Each chapter was peer-reviewed, typically by one'lemurologist'and one other biologist. The first three chapters present novel information from the first long-term field studies of three enigmatic species. Sterling describes the social organization of Daubentonia madagascariensis, showing that aye-aye ranging patterns deviate from those of all other nocturnal primates.

Climate change is a complex phenomenon with a wide range of impacts on the environment. Biotic and abiotic stress are a result of climate change. Abiotic stress is caused by primary and secondary stresses which are an impediment to plant productivity. Prolonged exposure to these stresses results in altered metabolism and damage to biomolecules. Plants evolve defense mechanisms to withstand these stresses, e.g. synthesis of osmolytes, osmoprotectants, and antioxidants. Stress responsive genes and gene products including expressed proteins are implicated in conferring tolerance to the plant. This volume will provide the reader with a wide spectrum of information, including vital references. It also provides information as to how phytoconstituents, hormones and plant associated microbes help the plants to tolerate the stress. This volume also highlights the use of plant resources for ameliorating soil contaminants such as heavy metals. Dr. Parvaiz is Assistant professorin Botany at A.S. College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his post-graduation in Botany in 2000 from Jamia Hamdard New Delhi India. After his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India in 2007 he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. He has published more than 20 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 4 book chapters. He has also edited a volume which is in press with Studium Press Pvt. India Ltd., New Delhi, India. Dr. Parvaiz is actively engaged in studying the molecular and physio-biochemical responses of different plants (mulberry, pea, Indian mustard) under environmental stress. Prof. M.N.V. Prasad is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Hyderabad, India. He received B.Sc. (1973) and M.Sc. (1975) degrees from Andhra University, India, and the Ph.D. degree (1979) in botany from the University of Lucknow, India. Prasad had published 216 articles in peer reviewed journals and 82 book chapters and conference proceedings in the broad area of environmental botany and heavy metal stress in plants. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor for eight books. He is the recipient of Pitamber Pant national Environment Fellowship of 2007 awarded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

Abiotic stress cause changes in soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and is responsible for reduced yield in several major crops. Therefore, the subject of abiotic stress response in plants - metabolism, productivity and sustainability - is gaining considerable significance in the contemporary world. Abiotic stress is an integral part of “climate change,” a complex phenomenon with a wide range of unpredictable impacts on the environment. Prolonged exposure to these abiotic stresses results in altered metabolism and damage to biomolecules. Plants evolve defense mechanisms to tolerate these stresses by upregulation of osmolytes, osmoprotectants, and enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants, etc. This volume deals with abiotic stress-induced morphological and anatomical changes, abberations in metabolism, strategies and approaches to increase salt tolerance, managing the drought stress, sustainable fruit production and postharvest stress treatments, role of glutathione reductase, flavonoids as antioxidants in plants, the role of salicylic acid and trehalose in plants, stress-induced flowering. The role of soil organic matter in mineral nutrition and fatty acid profile in response to heavy metal stress are also dealt with. Proteomic markers for oxidative stress as a new tools for reactive oxygen species and photosynthesis research, abscisic acid signaling in plants are covered with chosen examples. Stress responsive genes and gene products including expressed proteins that are implicated in conferring tolerance to the plant are presented. Thus, this volume would provides the reader with a wide spectrum of information including key references and with a large number of illustrations and tables. Dr. Parvaiz is Assistant Professor in Botany at A.S. College, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India. He has completed his post-graduation in Botany in 2000 from Jamia Hamdard New Delhi India. After his Ph.D from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, India in 2007 he joined the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New Delhi. He has published more than 20 research papers in peer reviewed journals and 4 book chapters. He has also edited a volume which is in press with Studium Press Pvt. India Ltd., New Delhi, India. Dr. Parvaiz is actively engaged in studying the molecular and physio-biochemical responses of different plants (mulberry, pea, Indian mustard) under environmental stress. Prof. M.N.V. Prasad is a Professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at the University of Hyderabad, India. He received B.Sc. (1973) and M.Sc. (1975) degrees from Andhra University, India, and the Ph.D. degree (1979) in botany from the University of Lucknow, India. Prasad has published 216 articles in peer reviewed journals and 82 book chapters and conference proceedings in the broad area of environmental botany and heavy metal stress in plants. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor for eight books. He is the recipient of Pitamber Pant National Environment Fellowship of 2007 awarded by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

This book contains 26 contributions dealing with the biology of aquatic oligochaetes and covers a wide range of topics including taxonomy, morphology, ultrastructure, embryology, reproduction, feeding biology, ecotoxicity, community studies, and species distribution. Descriptions of new taxa in tropical areas, including Amazonian forest soils, as well as overviews on the biodiversity of aquatic oligochaetes in Australia and European groundwaters, are presented. New morphological characteristics in both marine and freshwater species are described and interpreted. Laboratory studies contribute to the knowledge of oligochaete feeding biology and reproduction. The use of aquatic oligochaetes in ecological risk assessment is analysed in detail, and standardised experimental designs for studies on bioaccumulation and pollutant transfer by food are included. Finally, a number of papers present the effects of oliogochaetes on the performance of an activated sludge plant, and multivariate approaches to the spatial and/or temporal distribution and composition of oligochaete communities in many different areas of the world, from the scale of a river to the scale of the microhabitat. The broad scope of this volume is a reflection of recent rends, not only in oligochaete research, but also in general applied biological studies.

This volume reports the proceedings of a NATO Advanced Workshop held in Castelvecchio Pas coli, Italy, from August 28 - September 1, 1989. An important inspiration for this Workshop came from our studies in Helsinki and Denmark, which have found that exposure to an influenza epidemic during the second trimester of fetal development increases the risk of adult schizophrenia. This finding has stimulated an important new hypothesis in the study of the etiology of schizophrenia. It has suggested the possiblity that disturbances of brain development during gestation may contribute to the risk of adult schizophrenia. We determined that it would be of value to bring together schizophrenia researchers and those doing basic studies of the development of the brain. Both groups of researchers were encouraged to communicate at a level that would help other scientists to integrate their knowledge and techniques into their own discipline. For this reason, perhaps, the papers of this volume are remarkably clear and not difficult to understand. The first four chapters describe the neurochemical and structural aspects of brain development. The chapter by Dziegielewska and Saunders discusses transport mechanisms and the properties of endogenous and exogenous substances that control the internal environment of the developing brain. In the second chapter, Nowakowski reports on his studies of the develop­ ment of the hippocampus in mice genetically inbred to exhibit disruptions of neural migration.

In 2002 the 100th anniversary of the publication on'Culturversuche mit isolierten Pflanzenzellen'by Gottlieb Haberlandt was celebrated. Haberlandt´s vision of the totipotency of plant cells represents the actual beginning of tissue culture. This book pays homage to a great Austrian scientist and the further development of his ideas. The first part of the book contains a facsimile of the original paper which is a true artistic masterpiece and its first translation into English from 1969. The second and third parts describe Haberlandt´s life and work and early historical aspects of the development of plant tissue culture. The fourth part of the book contains an overview of important topics of plant tissue culture with the most promising areas of application to date and an outlook into the future. Areas range from micropropagation, production of pharmaceutically interesting compounds, plant breeding, genetic engineering of crop plants, including trees, and cryopreservation of valuable germplasm.

This book derives from a symposium conducted in San Francisco CA, entitled'Environmental Design for Optimum Vision in the Elderly'that was sponsored by the American Aging Association, October 11-12, 1985. Presentations from this symposium comprise the core content of this volume. However, manuscripts have also been accepted from additional authors whose topics and research findings increase the scope and goals of this volume. Previously unpublished data is found in several of the chapters. In addition new data and references have been incorporated at the end of chapters in order to provide a current update of the subject. The broad aims of the papers in this volume were to examine the effects of various environmental factors, long-term occupational hazards, and toxins on basic visual functions in relation to physiological, biochemical, morphological, and pathological alterations in the eye and visual pathways, and centers of the brain. As part of the more specific aims of this volume, the editors have provided the following framework for the specific topics included in this volume: I) Epidemiology, Clinical and Psychophysical Research, II) Ophthalmological, Biochemical, Physiological and Anatomical studies, and III) Environmental Hazards.

The present monograph is the fourth of six volumes which review the Hypotricha, a major group of the spirotrichs. The book is about the Gonostomatidae, the Kahliellidae, and some taxa of unknown position in the hypotrichs. Gonostomum was previously misclassified in the Oxytrichidae because its type species Gonostomum affine has basically an 18-cirri pattern, which is dominant in the oxytrichids. A new hypothesis, considering also molecular data, postulates that this 18-cirri pattern evolved in the last common ancestor of the hypotrichs and therefore it appears throughout the Hypotricha tree. The simple dorsal kinety pattern, composed of only three bipolar dorsal kineties, and gene sequence analyses strongly suggest that Gonostomum branches off rather early in the phylogenetic tree. Thus, the Gonostomatidae, previously synonymised with the oxytrichids, are reactivated to include the name-bearing type genus and other genera (e.g., Paragonostomum, Wallackia, Cladotricha) which have the characteristic gonostomatid oral apparatus. The Kahliellidae are a rather vague group mainly defined via the preservation of parts of the parental infraciliature. The kahliellids preliminary comprise, besides the name-bearing type genus Kahliella, genera such as Parakahliella and its African pendant Afrokahliella or the monotypic Engelmanniella. In total 68 species distributed in 21 genera and subgenera are revised. As in the previous volumes almost all morphological, morphogenetic, molecular, faunistic, and ecological data, scattered in almost 700 papers, are compiled so that the four volumes (Oxytrichidae, Urostyloidea, Amphisiellidae and Trachelostylidae, Gonostomatidae and Kahliellida) provide a detailed insight into the biology of almost 500 species of hypotrichs. The series is an up-to-dateoverview about this highly interesting taxon of spirotrichous ciliates mainly addressed to taxonomists, cell biologists, ecologists, molecular biologists, and practitioners.

In the summer of 1988, my developmental biology professor announced to the class that hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) had finally been purified. Somehow, I never forgot the professor's words. When I started working in Dr. Irv Weissman's labo- tory at Stanford as a postdoctoral fellow, I realized that the findings mentioned by the professor were from Weissman's laboratory and had been published in a 1988 edition of the journal Science. It has been over 20 years since the publication of that seminal paper, and since then tremendous advances in understanding the biology and maturation of HSCs, namely the process of hematopoiesis, which includes lymphocyte development, have been made. These discoveries were made possible in part by advancements in technology. For example, recent availability of user friendly fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) machines and monoclonal an- bodies with a variety of fluorescent labels has allowed more scientists to sort and analyze rare populations in the bone marrow, such as HSCs. All classes of hematopoietic cells are derived from HSCs. Stem cell biology draws enormous attention not only from scientists, but also from ordinary people because of the tremendous potential for development of new therapeutic application to diseases that currently lack any type of effective therapy. Thus, this type of “regenerative medicine” is a relatively new and attractive field in both basic science and clinical medicine.

Fourteen informative papers dealing with their DNA, species interactions, adventiveness, host specificity, potential as boi-contol agents of weeds, chemical control, behaviour, their role in fungal pathogen epidemiology, influence in forests and on ornamentals, collecting and mounting techniques and their interaction with crops are presented here. This is an extensive and valuable contribution to eriophyoid science and a must for present and future researchers in this field.

The Novartis Foundation Series is a popular collection of the proceedings from Novartis Foundation Symposia, in which groups of leading scientists from a range of topics across biology, chemistry and medicine assembled to present papers and discuss results. The Novartis Foundation, originally known as the Ciba Foundation, is well known to scientists and clinicians around the world.

Michael P. Richards and Jean-Jacques Hublin The study of hominin diets, and especially how they have (primates, modern humans), (2) faunal and plant studies, (3) evolved throughout time, has long been a core research archaeology and paleoanthropology, and (4) isotopic studies. area in archaeology and paleoanthropology, but it is also This volume therefore presents research articles by most of becoming an important research area in other fields such as these participants that are mainly based on their presentations primatology, nutrition science, and evolutionary medicine. at the symposium. As can hopefully be seen in the volume, Although this is a fundamental research topic, much of the these papers provide important reviews of the current research research continues to be undertaken by specialists and there in these areas, as well as often present new research on dietary is, with some notable exceptions (e. g., Stanford and Bunn, evolution. 2001; Ungar and Teaford, 2002; Ungar, 2007) relatively lit- In the section on modern studies Hohmann provides a tle interaction with other researchers in other fields. This is review of the diets of non-human primates, including an unfortunate, as recently it has appeared that different lines interesting discussion of the role of food-sharing amongst of evidence are causing similar conclusions about the major these primates. Snodgrass, Leonard, and Roberston provide issues of hominid dietary evolution (i. e.

This book reviews the biological science and background to breeding meat poultry, specifically broiler, turkey and duck. These commercial birds have been changed by genetic selection to such an extent that they are substantially different from traditional breeds and laying hens. Covering science, management and husbandry systems, this comprehensive text provides the most up to date collection of papers on the topic from a range of international experts.

Among all great ape species, the bonobo is still the least studied in both captivity and the wild. Nevertheless we have observed a considerable increase in knowledge across various fields of bonobo research in recent years. In part due to the ongoing peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, research and conservation activities on the bonobo have resumed and multiplied since 2001. Part One of The Bonobos: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation focuses on scientific research. Behavioral studies in captivity propose to answer why bonobos have some unique characteristics such as high social status of females and flexible social relationships. The outcomes present important aspects to be investigated in running field studies. In the wild, analysis of population genetics across the bonobo's distribution range illuminates the species'evolutionary path and contributes to a global management plan. Site specific analysis reveals how genetics are used to re-identify individuals after an extended interruption of long-term research. Ecological studies at three independent sites, two in Salonga National Park, as well as one in the Luo Scientific Reserve, provide valuable information for the comprehension of ecological adaptation of bonobos. With the application of recent methods of mammalian feeding ecology as well as comparative approaches in other great ape species, these studies allow us to draw conclusions on ape ecological adaptation and evolution. Part Two of The Bonobos: Behavior, Ecology, and Conservation focuses on conservation. In overview, local and global aspects of the factors threatening the wild bonobo population are reviewed. Here the outcomes of large-scale efforts within the functioning ecosystem conservation paradigm focus on three landscapes within the range of the bonobo: the Salonga-Lukenie-Sankuru Landscape, the Maringa-Lopori-Wamba Landscape, and the Lac Télé-Lac Tumba Swamp Forest Landscape, are presented. Papers in thispart include the different aspects of various stakeholders and discuss the unique threats and actions taken to ensure bonobo survival. Pioneering the way, details from the first comprehensive assessment of bonobos in the Salonga National Park reveal a baseline from which to monitor future trends. Concerned about the indigenous'peoples aspects of conservation, an ethnographic study documents cultural, social, and economic practices for the purpose of reviving the local traditional knowledge to exemplify possible applications at the national level. To be inclusive of all aspects of range country concerns, the contributions of Kinshasa's bonobo sanctuary to national conservation efforts are presented. The outcome of these contributions taken together not only illuminate the current status of the bonobo but allow for critically designing the next steps for the continuation of its future.

Biotechnology and Sustainable Agriculture 2006 and Beyond is a collection of papers presented at the XIth international congress of the International Association of Plant Tissue Culture & Biotechnology (IAPTC&B). It continues the long tradition of the IAPTC&B to publish the proceedings of its quadrennial congresses. It provides an up-to-date report of the most significant advances in plant tissue culture and biotechnology as presented by leading international scientists.

World population is increasing at an alarming rate and this has resulted in increasing tremendously the demand for tree products such as wood for construction materials, fuel and paper, fruits, oils and medicines etc. This has put immense pressure on the world's supplies of trees and raw material to industry and will continue to do so as long as human population continues to grow. Also, the quality of human diet, especially nutritional components, is adversely affected due to limited genetic improvement of most of fruit trees. Thus there is an immediate need to increase productivity of trees. Improvement has been made through conventional breeding methods, however, conventional breeding is very slow due to long life cycle of trees. A basic strategy in tree improvement is to capture genetic gain through clonal propagation. Clonal propagation via organogenesis is being used for the production of selected elite individual trees. However, the methods are labour intensive, costly, and produce low volumes. Genetic gain can now be captured through somatic embryogenesis. Formation of embryos from somatic cells by a process resembling zygotic embryogenesis is one of the most important features of plants. In 1958, Reinert in Germany and Steward in USA independently reported somatic embryogenesis in carrot cultures. Since then, tremendous progress in somatic embryogenesis of woody and non-woody plants has taken place. It offers a potentially large-scale propagation system for superior clones.

Coupled with biomechanical data, organic geochemistry and cladistic analyses utilizing abundant genetic data, scientific studies are revealing new facets of how plants have evolved over time. This collection of papers examines these early stages of plant physiology evolution by describing the initial physiological adaptations necessary for survival as upright structures in a dry, terrestrial environment. The Evolution of Plant Physiology also encompasses physiology in its broadest sense to include biochemistry, histology, mechanics, development, growth, reproduction and with an emphasis on the interplay between physiology, development and plant evolution. Contributions from leading neo- and palaeo-botanists from the Linnean Society Focus on how evolution shaped photosynthesis, respiration, reproduction and metabolism. Coverage of the effects of specific evolutionary forces -- variations in water and nutrient availability, grazing pressure, and other environmental variables

Embark on an illuminating voyage through the biological foundations of human nature and development with Psychobiological Footprints through Human Development. This unique volume unveils the intricate dance between genetics, neuroscience, and environment, offering a holistic understanding of how we become who we are.This comprehensive book examines the psychobiological, neuroendocrine, and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate developmental processes in typical development and under conditions of developmental risk. Moving within a dynamic systems epistemic framework and capitalizing from the heritage of the infant research field, it provides a solid framework for comprehending the interplay of nature and nurture. With a captivating blend of theoretical principles, processes, and contextual applications, this book transcends academic boundaries to empower anyone interested in the intricacies of human development.Psychobiological Footprints through Human Development is a guide to discovering how our life experiences contribute to making us who we are and therefore it is invaluable to graduate students in the fields of developmental psychology, neuroscience, genetics, and related disciplines. Delving into the biological roots of behaviour, cognition, and emotion, it will also equip practitioners, researchers, and educators with invaluable insights to enrich their practice.

This volume covers recent developments on the role, composition, and functional significance of intercellular and interorganellar transfer. It highlights the involvement of intercellular and interorganellar transfer in cell and developmental biology, differentiation, pathogen dissemination, shaping the genetic makeup of organisms, and the development of various diseases. Animals and plants evolved different communication mechanisms and transfer of molecules and organelles between cells and between organelles within the individual cells. Tunneling nanotubes (TNTs) in animals, discovered as recently as 2004, and their functional equivalent in plants, plasmodesmata, discovered over 100 years ago, are the membranous bridges that mediate the transfer of organelles, membrane patches, vesicles, DNA/RNA, and different molecules between cells. In addition, there are other means of transfer and communication between the cells, such as cytonemes, airinames, extracellular vesicles (exosomes), and others. Variations in cytoskeletal composition, morphology, modality, and connected cells suggest that these structures play a role in development, establishment of cell fate, progenitor cell differentiation, cell reprogramming, ferroptosis, generation of cancer stem cells, and various diseases. The exchange of intact membrane patches (trogocytosis) between cells of the immune system may modify the immune response. Additionally, the transfer of genetic information between nucleus and organelles and cells of different species can shape the species and evolutionary outcome. Viral and bacterial pathogens can hijack the inter-cellular transfer routes to spread more efficiently. Cell-to-cell transfer of animal and plant pathogens can also occur by the virological synapse (VS). These specialized pathogen-induced structures share similarities and differences with neurological and immunological synapses.